https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/making-medicine-more-compassionate/

When I was 15, my 21-year-old-brother died of a cancer no one had seen before. His compassionate physician helped us navigate teams of oncologists and wade through his very short journey—three weeks from hospital to grave. My world was shattered. He was my hero. I dove into the one area that could help me navigate my intense emotions and my passion for life: theater. I started professional actor training the next summer, and that decision has taken me from an acting career to a teaching career that now addresses the impacts of caring on patients and their families.

I am the artistic director at the Texas Christian University (TCU) and University of North Texas Health Science Center (UNTHSC) School of Medicine, and our students are a class of 60 future physicians who will one day care for patients like my brother and families like mine. What is the most positive experience you’ve had with a doctor? My collaborative partner, Evonne Kaplan-Liss, and I have asked thousands of workshop participants to tell us their stories. We hear common themes about the doctor listening, taking time to explain what’s going on, checking in after hours, including family in decisions, sharing tears in moments of grief or just being there. Medicine never even makes the list.